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A League of Airmen
U.S. Air Power in the Gulf War
This report examines the contributions and limitations of air power in the Persian Gulf War. The authors conclude that, for the first time in modern combat, air power was the equal partner of land and sea power, performing the critical enabling function that led to victory. The authors seek to moderate, however, certain claims made by airpower advocates after the war: they maintain that the war did not demonstrate that a strategic air campaign guarantees victory, but rather that air power, skillfully employed under the right conditions, can neutralize, if not completely destroy, a modern army in the field. Nor did the war display breakthroughs in weapon technology, but rather the prowess of well-trained and motivated airmen and their support crews in using maturing technology. Moreover, the authors maintain, the air war was not fought as jointly as many supposed. The sheer mass of available air power allowed it to be used inefficiently at times to cater to doctrinal preferences of the various services.
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Paperback Cover Price: $55.00
Discounted Web Price: $49.50
Pages: 360
ISBN/EAN: 0-8330-1503-6
Hardcover Cover Price: $30.00
Discounted Web Price: $27.00
Pages: 361
ISBN/EAN: 0-8330-1503-6
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Contents
Chapter One:
Introduction
Chapter Two:
The Setting for the Gulf Air War
Chapter Three:
The Deployment
Chapter Four:
Planning the Air Campaign
Chapter Five:
Command, Control, and Organization
Chapter Six:
Operations
Chapter Seven:
Tactics
Chapter Eight:
Information Acquisition and Management
Chapter Nine:
Logistics
Chapter Ten:
Air Combat System Performance
Chapter Eleven:
Air Power Performance in the Gulf War
Chapter Twelve:
An Assessment of Air Power’s Role
Appendix:
Statistical Data on Desert Shield and Desert Storm
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